MADISON, WI – A Wisconsin inmate has been denied the right to play Dungeons & Dragons in prison!

MADISON, WI – A Wisconsin inmate has been denied the right to play Dungeons & Dragons in prison!

Kevin T. Singer is no ordinary inmate. He is was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after bludgeoning his sister’s boyfriend to death with a sledgehammer.

He has been devoted to the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons since his childhood, and began playing it in prison with three other inmates.

However, in 2004, the game was banned after another inmate expressed concern over the four players forming a gang around the game!

Officials confiscated from his cell dozens of Dungeons & Dragons books, as well as a 96-page manuscript he had written for game scenarios. He was told he could not have the materials because the game “promotes fantasy role playing, competitive hostility, violence, addictive escape behaviors, and possible gambling.”

Singer filed a federal lawsuit, saying the prison had violated his free speech and due process rights, but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the policy.

The decision read, “After all, punishment is a fundamental aspect of imprisonment, and prisons may choose to punish inmates by preventing them from participating in some of their favorite recreations.”